2016 to 2017 - Look for blessings, don't act like Lot's wife

[musasgal]

2016 is the worse year according to the world. We had political standoffs (and it's still happening as we speak), changes in our lives, loosing what we held dear, natural disasters (trust me, I actually felt the earthquake that happened in November), and a LOT of celebs who passed away (and the final week of this year....is following that trend. About 5-6 celebs died this week so far crying ). However, it is a time to reflect of what has been and wished what we could've done better.

But something came into my mind....well 2 things.

First thing. Don't be Lot's Wife.
We all know the story about Lot and his family, but his wife looked back....and the rest is history (no pun attended). But let's think about it and break it down.

In the first half of Genesis 19 (1-29 of you want to check it out in full, and Gen. 18:16-33 if you want the backstory), after a lot of pleading, two angels stayed with Lot for the night, but they urge Lot and his family to leave Sodom and not look back. Flee to the hills. Lot objected the hill idea, but requested to be in a save haven of Zoar. It was granted, and his 3 girls (wife and two daughters) fled. But as they was leaving, his wife looked back, and died. In other words, turned into a pillar of salt (there is actually a pillar called Lot's Wife which is made of salt, which looks like this
)

Now think, Sodom is 2016 to a LOT of people, and if they look back on it, it's going to be a LOT of hurt if they look at the negatives. But was it Jesus who said we ARE the Salt of the World in Mathew 5:13?

Yes, but if we loose our flavor, we will be trampled by men as we get tossed aside. That sucks, doesn't it? Actually no, he does have a good point. As long as we keep our flavor of Salt, we won't meet that fate of being trampled. But I digress.

Back to the main point. Don't be Lot's Wife. We can look back and reflect, but don't dwell of the past and now. Look forward to the future and don't dwell on the past. It will hurt you and you will have extra baggage on ya.

Second thing.

I have a red song book (and also a blue song book), and there is a song that you might heard of......

Quote:

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Yep, Count your (Many) Blessings.

We keep looking at the bad, and not looking at the good, the small blessings that we keep missing. Trust me on this, I keep missing those blessings, even great memories that I don't celebrate often. We need to chill and look about what blessings what has appeared (I mean, God gave us those blessings, but do we really pay attention?). And it's pretty clear that you guys Take a look at the final verse!

Quote:

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

One line sticks out like a sore thumb:
Do not be discouraged, God is over all

I mean, God is, and always in control, and wants us to see those blessings when we look back in a positive light. God is over all, and we should NEVER be discouraged...well....most of the time razz Just remember that we had a lot of positives that is always gone unnoticed, and they will pop up when you lest expected, so be ready!

As we move into 2017, remember that there is more of where all of the crap came from, but if you stop, think and take a step back, God has a lot more blessings to shower on you over the next year. Stay strong, keep your eyes on God, and nothing is impossible.  

[Meili Kyumee Youichi]

Thank you for sharing this smile
The connection between pillar of salt and salt of the earth is interesting xD

Let's look forward to the new year.
"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23